Old pep rally chants and forgotten areas

With Warwick’s football season in full swing and basketball right around the corner, I’d like to share some old Lititz and Rothsville High School pep rally cries from years past:

Fight Lititz Fight

Fight…Lititz High fight!

Fight Lititz High fight!

Fight Fight Lititz!

Kick ’em High

Kick ’em high,

Pass ’em low,

Lititz High, let’s go!

Come on Team

Come on team

Stick ’em in the basket

Lititz High’s never in a casket!

The Up and Down Yell

When you’re up, you’re up

When you’re down, you’re down,

you’re down

When you play Lititz

You are upside down!

Stand ’em on their heads,

stand ’em on their feet

Lititz High School can’t be beat!

And here is Rothsville High School’s ladies basketball team’s cry from 1917:

Rip! Rah! Re!

Who are we?

High School Girl Team

Don’t you see?

Are we in it

Well I guess

We attend the R.H.S.

Cannibal, Cannibal,

Sis, bum, bah,

Rothsville High School

Rah! Rah! Rah!

Feel free to scream these chants at the next game, and wait for the reaction.

***

In my recent book entitled "Warwick Township, Lancaster County," I mention two small areas around the township that you won’t find the names to on any recent map. The first one, once called Thumbtown, is located midway between Brunnerville and Pine Hill. It is said that it got that name due to the small curve in the road right by the cemetery that mimics a thumb, as one gives the "thumbs-up" sign. The second area, called Seminole, was so named for an Indian tribe, and occupies the area past Rothsville before one heads into Brownstown.

The borough of Lititz also has many small areas and neighborhoods which have names attached to them that have been long forgotten. Most "Lititzites" are probably familiar with Sutter Village, but how many readers know that the development across the road from the Lititz library is known as Libramont? There was also a Myerstown, which referred to a number of houses on the east side of South Broad Street. This grouping of houses was built by a man with the last name of Myers. There is also an area which used to be known as Miller’s Woods. This was situated on the west side at the intersection of Woodcrest Drive and Second Avenue. This got the name because at one time, it was the eastern portion of the nearby Miller farm. Not to be confused, there was also a section of houses called Miller’s Row. These were built for low-income families, and were located between East Orange and Main streets on Juniper Lane. They were built in the late 1800’s, and once faced east near the Lititz Elementary School playground.

Snavely’s Woods was located between where West End and Third Avenue currently reside. At one time, many camp meetings were held there. Then there was Huber’s Woods, which was located as one heads north into Brunnerville. This is just past the intersection of Brunnerville and East Newport Roads, near where Yerger’s Ice Dam used to be located. Cottage Row was the area of houses that were located directly across from the square, leading down to the park. Lititz Mutual Insurance currently occupies this property. Many years ago, if you said you lived in Locust Gardens, then you would be referring to an area bordering South Broad Street on the east, and Marion Street on the north. This name came from the many locust trees that grew there many years ago.

There was also a very small area called Heineman’s Hill. This was at the intersection of East Main and North Cedar Streets, heading down the small hill towards what was once the Morgan Paper Company. Of course, these days Susquehanna Bank has its headquarters there. Kitchen Town referred to many houses that looked alike and were situated at West Center and West Lemon, on the west side of Spruce Street. They were called this due to them all having only their kitchens on the first floor, with the living quarters located upstairs. One by one, they were eventually all converted into full-size homes.

If you lived in Grubelandt, you lived in an area once owned partially by members of the Grube family. This area encompassed land to the west of Lititz Springs Park and stretched to an area past Orange Street and ended in Lime Rock. The area now includes places like Johnson and Johnson, The Lititz Springs Pool, Outback Toys and the Borough Works building. Still another area was referred to as Leaman’s Corner, and occupied land on North Water and Front streets. This was so named due to the Leaman family that lived there and occupied several homes in that vicinity. A row of houses that were built by a man named Wissler and stood along the west side of North Cedar near Market Street were very alike in nature. This area was aptly named Wissler’s Row. Frog Hollow was the name that was used to designate the area between North Locust and Water Street. The name originated from the numerous frogs that lived in the marsh where the San Domingo joins the Lititz Creek. The area is now part of the New Street Ecological Park. Greektown was located heading east on Front Street towards Rome. These homes were built and named for the many Greek families that worked at the Animal Trap Company, now Woodstream.

Heilman’s Row contained many houses built by a gentleman with the last name of Heilman and were located on the left side of Lincoln Avenue, as one leaves the borough and heads towards Brunnerville Road. If you lived at 5 Points, you lived at the intersection of Liberty, Front and Cedar streets. Up until a few years ago, Bracken’s Shoe Repair occupied a store on the left; and on the right side that same building contained Clair’s Grocery Store.

As the names of these areas slowly disappeared and were forgotten as time marched on, several original street names were also lost. For example, Lincoln Avenue was once known as (the original) Orange Street. The section of road as you turned left onto New Street including the land now occupied by the Lititz United Methodist Church was once known as Apple Street. Liberty Street was once upon a time known as Stroh Avenue, in honor of Nicholas Stroh. This was changed to Liberty Street after World War One since Stroh was a German name. There still exists a Stroh Lane, however, and is located near Liberty Street to the west, and joins up with Rodney Lane to the north.

When Charles Monttelius was laying out the plans for the town of Warwick, there was talk of erecting a large square of land at the current intersection of Market and Liberty streets. This was to be the location of a market house. Although the market house was never built, the name of Market Street remained, and back then it was the main used street for the town of Warwick.

Current road names can also offer clues as to what was once located nearby. For example, Trolley Run Road, situated heading south out of town and located at the Pizza Hut restaurant in Lititz, was so named due to the Kissel Hill trolley that once ran through that area. The trolley stop was located across the street next to what was up until recently known as the Shober House, which is now a Members First Federal Credit Union. Rothsville Station Road in Rothsville was named for the train stop that was once located down the road from there. Other names around the county such as Schoolhouse Lane, etc. indicate that a schoolhouse once stood in that general area.

There is also a friendly discussion brewing over at the "Remember When in Lititz, PA" Facebook page about being from the wrong or right side of the tracks. This of course has to do with whether you lived on the north side of the railroad tracks (Front Street for example), or the south side of town (Main Street, etc.). From Brunnerville